Steve Kroft's goal: To interview Madoff

Commentary: '60 Minutes' correspondent is a master storyteller

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Longtime fans of CBS' "60 Minutes" know by now that the award-winning correspondent Steve Kroft has all of the gifts of a great television journalist.

That's why Kroft's work has spawned five Peabody awards, the Pulitzers of television journalism. He is scheduled on April 12 to take home the Paul White Award, a lifetime achievement citation that has been given to such journalists as CBS News
CBS, +0.13%
icons Walter Cronkite, Mike Wallace and Don Hewitt. Check out Kroft's bio.

Yes, Kroft, 64, can write an absorbing script and tell someone's story in a calm, commanding tone. Since 1989, he also has exhibited unerring timing about when to turn serious or playful on the air. And he has an uncanny ability to get his subjects to open up.

But perhaps Kroft's greatest asset of all to "60 Minutes" is his eclectic nature of his reporting. He wants to cover anybody who has a lively story worth telling -- and the chances are, he'll pull off the task, with aplomb.

You want proof? When I asked Kroft who would be his dream "get" right now, he shot back "Bernie Madoff," Wall Street's Public Enemy No. 1, who was imprisoned for bilking clients out of billions of dollars.

Then, when I asked Kroft to tell me which historical figure he wished he could've interviewed, he threw me a curve ball. I half-expected him to name a president or a pope or an explorer, but he smiled slyly and replied: "Babe Ruth."

Kroft said Madoff appeals to him because "there are so many things that he hasn't talked about."

He's realistic, though: "I don't think he's ready to talk." Kroft thinks that Madoff won't grant interviews as long as investigators suspect that any members of his family might have been mixed up in his wrongdoing.

I asked Kroft what he would do to prepare for such a momentous interview.

"Research everything," he said.

Sounding like a knowledgeable professor giving a lecture in Reporting 101, Kroft noted: "Crafting the questions is very important when you game out an interview. You want to phrase the questions in such a way to get the most interesting responses. Your job is to provide insight."

Interviewing Beyonce

Kroft would be excited to interview Wall Street's Public Enemy No. 1, but the kinds of pieces where he has only an hour or two to spend with a subject go against his meticulous nature.

He wasn't thrilled with the arrangements that were offered to him by representatives of superstar singer Beyonce. They gave "60 Minutes" only 90 minutes with her.

While Kroft was pleased to reveal an unseen side of Beyonce to the viewers, the unsatisfying journalistic experience taught "60 Minutes" a key lesson: Don't play ball with Hollywood handlers.

"Normally, we don't do interviews like that one," Kroft explained.

He said the management of "60 Minutes" has made a decision. "We're not going to be pushed around by publicists any more," Kroft said. "We're not interested in giving people publicity if they've got something to promote."

One Hollywood giant who appeals to Kroft is multiple-Oscar winning actor Jack Nicholson. "I'd like to talk with him about his life, his acting and Hollywood. I'd ask him to talk about what he has learned from 50 years in the business."

On Sunday, "60 Minutes" is scheduled to present Kroft's profile of John Gotti Jr., the son of a famed New York crime kingpin. Kroft was intrigued by his saga "and why he decided to get out of 'the life,' as he calls it."

I asked Kroft whether he frets that he and his program are being exploited by famous people who have something to sell on the tube.

"If I feel I'm being used, I won't do the interview. We've got to get more out of the interview than they do."

Intellectually committed

It's no mystery in the corridors of CBS News headquarters about what makes Kroft's work stand out. "He's old-school CBS," said Frank Devine, a veteran "60 Minutes" producer. "He is intellectually committed to what he does. He is thoroughly committed to the craft of telling his stories."

Kroft's stamina and output are equally as impressive as the quality of his work. He appears on "60 Minutes" about 20 times a year -- or roughly every other week, an astonishing level of production for someone who puts as much of himself into each installment as Kroft.

"I get excited about every story," Kroft told me Wednesday during an interview in his office overlooking the Hudson River.

Watching the show last month at home, I was impressed by a vintage Kroft effort -- a lively, fast-paced, riveting profile of Mikhail Prokhorov, perfectly reflecting the frenetic lifestyle of the lively, fast-paced, riveting Russian billionaire who is poised to take control of the New Jersey Nets, the worst team this season in the National Basketball Association.

"I have to get excited," Kroft said. Then he smiled and confided: "I only have to do the ones that get me excited."

And why the Babe?

Which gets us back to why Babe Ruth would have qualified.

"He'd be a great '60 Minutes' profile," Kroft said earnestly. "He'd have said what was on his mind."

On the other hand, Osama bin Laden, the hunted terrorist, merits a shrug. "He's not much of an interview (subject) -- not great television."

Naturally, Kroft wouldn't exactly demur if the most widely pursued enemy of America wanted to tell his story. I wouldn't put it past Kroft to get the interview someday -- assuming bin Laden is still alive -- and keep us on the edge of our seats, as usual.

Jeff Fager, the executive producer of "60 Minutes," put it succinctly when I asked him what his role is in working with Kroft.

Fager grinned. "I just stay out of his way."

MEDIA WEB QUESTION OF THE DAY: What do you like or dislike about Steve Kroft and "60 Minutes?"

Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use.
Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information. Intraday data
delayed per exchange requirements. S&P/Dow Jones Indices (SM) from Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
All quotes are in local exchange time. Real time last sale data provided by NASDAQ. More
information on NASDAQ traded symbols and their current financial status. Intraday
data delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, and 20 minutes for other exchanges. S&P/Dow Jones Indices (SM)
from Dow Jones & Company, Inc. SEHK intraday data is provided by SIX Financial Information and is
at least 60-minutes delayed. All quotes are in local exchange time.